Halves
by Summer Raindrops
Summary: It's a rainy day, and two of our favorite heroes are thinking about each other...Advanceshipping.


**Hello! This is my first fanfiction! As you can see, it's a one-shot! I hope you like it!**

**This is dedicated to _Midnightmoon602 _and _-WingsofRain-_: Two very talented and extremely nice authors that I admire! You guys rock! :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.  
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><p>May looked outside and sighed. It was raining.<p>

A thunderstorm, to be exact. She was lucky she was at home- drinking hot cocoa next to a crackling fire. Her Pokémon were all snuggled near it, snoozing happily.

As she took another sip, she gazed up to a shelf. Two ribbon cases were pinned up on the surrounding area. A golden cup sat on the shelf, a small blue ribbon embedded in the middle of it.

May had won the Johto Grand Festival.

The battle with Solidad had been tough. Her Pidgeot and Lapras against May's Glaceon and Beautifly. May was in a tough situation until Beautifly's Swarm ability had kicked in. And they had won the battle with a stunning Blizzard-and-Silver Wind combination. During the party afterward, fans and other Coordinators had swarmed her with compliments, questions, and autographs.

And in the midst of all that fame, she still felt that familiar pang of loneliness.

When she was in Johto, she always felt like she was missing _something._ Some empty space that kept keep expanding. Not that she didn't have fun in Johto- she had met so many wonderful people and Pokémon.

So what had she been missing?

The answer was simple. _Ash. _As she remembered the raven-haired trainer, a clap of thunder resounded outside. He had been her cheerleader, her idol, teacher, and friend. She was always cheered up by that May's heart ached a little more when she remembered that.

Automatically, her hand went to her pocket, and she fished out a ribbon.

To be precise, _half_ a ribbon.

Silk pink ribbon was arranged on the side of spiked bronze. The silk was wearing a bit, because of so much handling.

May looked outside again. Rain was still falling at an incredible pace. Raindrops trailed down the window. Or was it a reflection of her face? Touching it, she felt a small tear on her cheek.

_Why? Why do I miss him so much? _She felt like punching a wall. _Why?_

_You know the answer to that. _A calmer voice cut through her thoughts.

_I do?_

_Yes._

_No, I don't!_

_Yes, you do. _

…_.._

_It's simple, May. You _love_ him._

_WHAT?_

She pressed the ribbon to her chest. She knew in her heart, it was true.

_He probably doesn't even feel the same._ Did he ever look at his half of the ribbon? And there was Dawn and Misty. He always high-fived Dawn. He had been traveling with Misty for so long. She was just….May. Plain old May. Just someone he could help out while progressing on his own journey.

_Did I ever mean anything to him?_

Her train of thoughts were interrupted by the doorbell. She put down her empty mug, got up, and went to open the door. _It's probably Mom and Dad…_

Imagine her surprise as someone completely different stood outside, soaked, with a yellow mouse on his shoulder.

"…..Ash…?"

Ash Ketchum gave his trademark grin. "Hey, May. What's up?"

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><p>When he returned to Pallet Town from Sinnoh, Ash was considerably elated.<p>

After all, he _had _won the Sinnoh League. It had been a hard battle against Tobias, but in the end, his final Pokémon had fallen. Dawn and Brock had given him endless congratulations, as well as a huge feast. There was that sadness from departing from Dawn and Brock- they had both been extraordinary friends- but on the whole, he was happy.

Or so he thought.

As soon as he came home, Ash had greeted his Pokémon, Delia, Professor Oak, and Tracey. It had been a tiring day, catching up with everyone. When he was finally alone with Pikachu, he flopped down on his bed, and something in is pocket poked him.

Reaching into it, he drew out his half of the Terracotta Ribbon. It was somewhat crumpled, but the bronze still shone like it was obtained yesterday.

Ash stared at the ribbon for a long time, reminiscing all the wonderful times in Hoenn and the Battle Frontier, traveling with Max, Brock, and May.

May. He remembered all the wonderful times with _her._

When they met Manaphy, and as they traveled through the Tree of Beginning, when they stopped the fake Groudon- he shuddered when he remembered how May was sucked in by the large tentacles on the monster.

And suddenly, the elated feeling was gone, now replaced by one of melancholy. Ash shook his head. How could his mood change so…suddenly? What was this feeling? He never felt this…lonely when he Misty or Dawn crossed his mind.

He suddenly held up his ribbon halve to the moon, which was full, illuminating everything around it. The ribbon covered half of the moon- its counterpart elsewhere. Hoenn, to be precise.

And it suddenly clicked. _His_ counterpart was missing. He always felt… different around May. A "good" kind of different. When Drew gave May his roses, Ash felt…jealous. If May was gone, he felt lonely. When she was there, he felt happy. Maybe a little shy. Maybe a bit more… confident. So what was it that he was feeling?

_Love…Could it be…_

_No! How? I mean…I never…Misty or Dawn…_

_But she's not them. She's _May.

_So…I…love…_

_May?_

And he made up his mind. He was going to Hoenn. Tomorrow.

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><p>"…Ash…?"<p>

"Hey, May."

She stood inside for a minute, trying to ingest the fact that _Ash_ was _here_.

"…Oh my, oh….Ash, you're soaked! And it's pouring out there! And Pikachu! Oh my…come in!"

She quickly escorted Ash to the fireplace.

"Here's a towel…and I'll make some hot chocolate."

As soon as Ash got comfortable, May sat down, hoping her hands weren't trembling. Pikachu was dry too, and was lying down by the fire, sleeping happily.

"So…Ash. What brings you here?"

Ash took a sip of his drink. He scratched his head sheepishly before saying, "I don't really know. I kind of came on a whim. I guess I just wanted to see you." He smiled. May blushed.

_He…came to see…me…_

She shook herself, sitting up straight, and smiled back. "Thanks. And it's only me here- Max is on his journey, and Mom and Dad are at someone's house.

"I saw your victory at the Sinnoh League- it was amazing!"

Ash chuckled and slightly blushed. "Well, it was hard, but it was worth it in the end. And speaking of which, we all saw your Grand Festival victory. Dawn kept gushing about your awesome combinations and such."

They laughed again, but the laughter soon turned into silence. The fire's crackling, and the pouring rain outside were the only sounds that could be heard. Ash clenched his fists. He _had_ to do it! He _just had to!_

"May?" he asked.

"I…I have to tell you something!"

May pursed her lips, then said, "Ash, I need to tell you something too."

Ash wasn't really listening. "Look, I…When we were traveling…I felt really happy! It was a lot of fun, and I...I know that I kind of taught you some stuff, but you taught me stuff too! And I…I don't know, I feel different around you! In a good way! I…I feel lonely when you're not around, and I feel really happy when you're here and I hate when Drew gives you roses and I think you have really pretty eyes and…"

He stopped for a minute, trying to catch his breath. Ash was standing up now, his mug on its side, his hat shadowing his face.

May stared at him with huge eyes.

_He…could he…care?_

"Ash…"

Ash took a deep breath. "I guess what I'm trying to say is…._I love you."_

All this time, May had been clutching on to her ribbon. She stood up as well, and choked out, "Ash…I missed you…so much…in Johto. I was all alone. And…..the ribbon…always gave me strength…because it reminded me of you."

Sapphire eyes met brown.

"…..Ash…._I love you too."_

And at that same moment, they both lifted their ribbon halves up, and joined them together. They were finally reunited, by body and soul.

Ash embraced May, and slowly, they came together for a kiss- tender, short, and sincere.

When they broke apart, Ash took a deep breath and asked, "May, would you like to travel with me again? I hear there's a region called Unova- there are Pokémon there that can't be found anywhere else."

May smiled- a warm smile that Ash had missed for so long. "Of course I'll come with you. As long as we're together."

Ash scoffed. "Do you know how cheesy that was?"

She punched in the arm. "Idiot."

But it was true, Ash had to admit. They could never be separated, for they were two sides of the the same coin.

Two halves of a whole.

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><p><strong>So, how was it! Please review! :)<br>**

**Another thank you to WingsofRain and Midnightmoon602! ^ ^  
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**Keep smiling! :)**


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